Experience

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  Melbourne City FC

  • Australia
  • Spectator Sports
  • 100 - 200 Employee

  • Strategy & New Ventures Lead

    • Nov 2022 - Present

    Leading the Club’s new business strategic planning and new frontier revenue growth activities.

  • Head of Legal

    • Oct 2021 - Nov 2022

    Managing the Club’s Legal Department in providing legal and risk management advice on football regulatory, commercial operations, compliance, and dispute resolution matters. Providing strategic advice to the Club’s CEO, Executive Leadership Team, and Football Department.Awarded "Employee of the Year" for A-League season 2021/22.Includes management of safeguarding policies and procedures to strengthen protection of children and vulnerable adults involved in Melbourne City Football Club and City In The Community charitable activities.

  • Legal Counsel

    • Feb 2020 - Sep 2021

    Provision of legal advice to the Club on contract, consumer, and commercial law matters, including on key sponsorship rights partnerships, to assist football regulatory compliance and the commercial operations of the Club.

  • Head of Legal (Acting)

    • May 2019 - Jan 2020

    Managing the Club’s Legal Department, in providing legal and risk management advice on football regulatory, commercial operations, compliance, and dispute resolution matters. Includes management of safeguarding policies and procedures to strengthen protection of children and vulnerable adults involved in Melbourne City Football Club and City In The Community charitable activities.

  • Legal Counsel

    • Feb 2019 - Apr 2019

    Provision of legal advice to the Club on contract, consumer, and commercial law matters, to assist football regulatory compliance and commercial operations of the Club.

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  The University of Melbourne

  • Melbourne

  • Senior Fellow

    • Jan 2016 - Dec 2021
    • Melbourne

    James was a Senior Fellow in the Sports Law Program at the University of Melbourne, lecturing in Sports Law at JD level and in the Masters program at the Melbourne Law School.

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  RMIT University

  • Melbourne, Australia

  • Sessional Lecturer

    • Jan 2017 - Dec 2019
    • Melbourne, Australia

    Lecturer specialising in the coordination and delivery of corporate and commercial law subjects, including Australian Company Law, and Advanced Contract Law.

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  Law Institute of Victoria

  • Melbourne, Victoria

  • Sports Law Committee

    • Jan 2012 - Jul 2017
    • Melbourne, Victoria

    Acted as Chair of the Sports Law Committee from 2013 - 2017

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  Anzarut & Partners

  • Melbourne, Australia

  • Senior Associate

    • Feb 2008 - Dec 2015
    • Melbourne, Australia

    Anzarut & Partners is a corporate and commercial law firm based in Melbourne, Australia.James' corporate law practice included advising private and public companies on various Corporations Act requirements, including matters addressing fundraising, shareholder and director rights, and corporate governance issues, including ASX Listing Rules compliance.James regularly provided advice to manufacturing and retail clients on commercial law issues, with that knowledge accentuated by spending a number of long term secondments to Toyota Australia as in-house corporate counsel. This commercial legal experience included negotiating, drafting and advising on:- sponsorship rights partnerships (event & personal endorsement);- key contracts with suppliers of goods and services; - intellectual property protection and privacy compliance matters; and- competition law and consumer protection issues for advertising campaigns covering television, radio, online and print in both Australia and the US.

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  DLA Phillips Fox

  • Senior Associate

    • Feb 2005 - Feb 2008

    Provision of corporate law advice on mergers & acquisitions and capital raising projects for clients (and amounts) large and small, public and private, including ASX listings.

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  Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

  • Greater New York City Area

  • Discovery Attorney

    • Oct 2002 - Jan 2005
    • Greater New York City Area

    Led discovery review projects for large litigation matters, predominately related to anti-trust and breach of contract matters concerning technology companies.

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  NYC

  • Contract attorney

    • Jan 2001 - Oct 2002

    Acted as a freelance attorney while based in New York, including assignments at- Davis & Gilbert LLP, advising on regulatory issues on advertising campaigns for clients including Verizon Wireless, BBDO and Grey Advertising.- Westpac Banking Corporation (New York Branch), creating a US regulatory compliance database.

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  DLA Phillips Fox

  • Articled Clerk / Solicitor

    • Feb 1999 - Dec 2000